New initiatives by governor “walks over” workers, unions, and the poor

Anyone wondering where totalitarianism went after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak stepped down need not look any further than Madison Wisconsin, where it seems to have arrived alive and well…much to the disdain of our state’s public workforce.

Totalitarianism may be an extreme description of what Gov. Scott Walker is attempting to do, which is strip away the rights of the state’s employees to bargain collectively on their contracts.

Under the guise of trying to deal with a multimillion dollar budget deficit, Walker is attempting to destroy labor unions and render the status of state workers to nothing more than powerless drones reminiscent of author George Orwell’s classic novel, “1984” about the horrific impact of oppression on the people.

Think we’re being too extreme again? We don’t think so. Walker’s proposal—if it becomes law—could be devastating to the quality of life for all Wisconsinites—regardless of color, gender, age or class status.

In addition to his assault on state workers, Walker is calling for a severe reduction in health care assistance for as many as one million state residents—without the approval of the full legislature.

But even if his plan to slash health care was debated by lawmakers, chances are the proposal–like his so-called “budget repair bill”–would pass easily, given the fact Republican lawmakers control the Assembly and the Senate.

The extreme actions by Walker one-and-a-half months into his term reminds us of something we said during the national mid-term elections and the need to slay the dragon of conservatism.

We said that if we failed to return Democrats who supported President Barack Obama’s initiatives to Congress, it could potentially plunge the nation into a new “dark age” quoting legendary British Prime Minister Winston Churchill as he described what could have happened to Great Britain—and the world—if they had failed to stop Adolph Hitler.

It seems our prediction unwittingly applied more to Wisconsin than the country. A new “dark age” of conservative intolerance of unions, the needs of the poor, minorities, the unemployed and underemployed, as well as the medically challenged is at hand in our state.

All the protests, picketing and petition efforts that have been launched since Walker unveiled his plan last week may be too late.

We may simply have to weather the storms of the next four years and simply put forth the best candidate—and our best efforts to get out the vote…and to actually VOTE next time..